Thursday, May 15, 2014

On Thursday morning, MLB announced the first wave of participants for the July 13 game at Target Field. They include Jack Morris and Jim Thome; Minnesota pro sports stars Adrian Peterson of the Vikings, Zach Parise of the Wild, Kevin Love of the Wolves and Maya Moore of the Lynx; Jon Hamm from the hit TV show “Mad Men” and the baseball movie “Million Dollar Arm” that hits theaters starting Friday; and Minnesota residents and TV personalities Andrew Zimmern and James Denton.

These participants will take the field alongside additional stars from music, TV and sports, announced at a later date along with other baseball legends. The game will immediately follow the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on that Sunday before the Midsummer Classic and will air on ESPN immediately following the Home Run Derby on Monday, July 14.

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Westerberg is playing Midway Stadium in September. Maybe they can set up a softball game too. I once watched John Denver play a celebrity softball game before one of his concerts. He looked like he'd played some little league.

This reminds me of the time I went to see the futures game and left before the celebrity softball game, much to the shock of the ushers. Apparently it was considered the larger draw of that day's double header.

Rinku Singh was a humble farm boy growing up in anonymity in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India when his life took a dramatic twist through a combination of fate, athletic skill and American ingenuity and glitz.

Six years ago, Singh threw a baseball 87 mph in a "Million Dollar Arm" contest to win $100,000 and a trip to the United States to pursue a professional career as a pitcher. He signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates and dutifully worked his way through the minors while embracing numerous American traditions. Singh developed a fondness for pizza and pancakes with caramelized banana on the bottom, learned English by watching Stephen King movies and "Baseball Tonight," and bonded with teammates through shared goals and lengthy minor league bus rides.

Last summer, Singh experienced another ritual that's become increasingly more commonplace among young American and Latino males in his new profession: He underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.

Like Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez and so many other All-Stars/household names, Singh is dealing with the emotional and physical fallout of an ulnar collateral ligament tear. He'll spend this summer rehabbing in an effort to return to the playing field in 2015. That's his ultimate goal, even as he attends movie screenings, fields interview requests and hangs out with Jon Hamm, the Hollywood star and devout St. Louis Cardinals fan.